16/9/2014 Financing Our Travels
During our sailing adventure we have met a number of others doing
the Around Australia “circuit”. We find
that there are as many ways to finance these adventures as there are people
doing it.
Many have sold their house, car and other investments, others have
rented out properties and some have “cashed in” or are living on their
superannuation.
We have a business that is run by our business partner. We share a percentage of the profit, pro
rata. We also have our home rented out to a bank manager, that is providing the
rest of our income budget. As long as we stick strictly to our budget we can
live and sail quite comfortably.
A trip to Europe in May and three months in Cairns with our kids,
meant that we had quite a “budget deficit” as the politicians and economists
would say. Then the business had a downturn and an unexpected tax bill, so our income
went quickly from hero to zero.
The answer was, back to work. Resumes were done, internet searches and
local newspapers scoured for possible income solutions.
What sort of work should we do? What sort of work was available? Our
sailing partner B2 puts it well. He says that working is just trading hours for
dollars. So how could we trade the least
hours for the most dollars?
Fruit picking and other similar “travellers” jobs were quickly
crossed off the list as being too exhaustive in the tropical heat and not enough return for the effort.
At several stages in my life I had done truck driving and have a
road train license. From that experience I know that most trucks on the road
are air conditioned, have air ride seats and loading unloading is done by
machine. Seemed like a good option.
Leanne has a lot of sales and customer service experience. Most of
that sort of work is in air-conditioned offices and isn’t too labour intensive, so that also seemed like a good option.
Where, was the next question. We were in Cairns staying
at our daughter’s house. Easy Tiger, our boat was in Adelaide and our best job
prospects and accommodation prospects were in Western Australia. The reason we were in Cairns was to spend
quality time with our kids. Our son Luke
would be here until mid October. The best alternative was therefore to apply for jobs in
Cairns. Seemed that with our skills and experience it wouldn’t be too hard to
find work here.
Wrong. The applications started flowing out and for quite a while
nothing came back. After a month of
failed attempts we were starting to get a bit concerned. It seemed like good
jobs were being advertised anywhere other than Cairns.
As it was looking like work in Cairns wouln’t be available, we sent
off applications to Adelaide and also WA. More weeks went by and again we had no response to the many applications sent.
Just as we were getting really concerned, I noticed some trucks on
the roads in Cairns with Qube logistics branding. I sent them my resume and a
few weeks later they rang to say I could start work with them, in Mossman. An
hour and ten minutes drive from Cairns.
A fact finding mission was initiated. We jumped into the hire a
bubble we had been using in Cairns and set out for Mossman. We drove for an hour and a half of winding, twisting road, infested with slow
moving campervans and small hire cars, to Mossman. How would I handle doing that
drive twice a day after a 12 hour shift?
Accommodation enquiries were made all over town. The motels were way
too expensive, the caravan park was also expensive and booked out. There were
rentals available in Port Douglas, which is nearby, but they would only let on
a six month lease, not an option for us as we would only have four months work.
That left the Exchange Hotel in Mossman. They had rooms available at
$160 per week (no cooking or fridge, shared bathroom) and they “might be”
starting to do breakfasts next week but they weren’t sure. Leanne and I stepped
outside to discuss this (our only) option when a sugar cane train came along
the street and right outside the hotel blew it’s horn.Apparently that happens a lot. That was the decider.
Driving in and out from Cairns each day would be the only way to do
this job. That would allow Leanne to find work in Cairns and we could share the
rent and bills with Bree (our daughter). If I found the driving to and from
too much we would have to look for something else.
At least we had something. We had enough income to support our selves
and hopefully could save a bit towards carrying on our sailing adventure.
One positive leads to another. After accepting the Qube job and
deciding to do the drive, we had another offer of a job in Adelaide, then
another job offer in WA. Then Leanne was asked to come in for a job interview
with Coles, then, she was offered a job in South Australia.
After a month of driving a truck hauling sugar cane from the
Atherton Tablelands to Mossman mill, I have found the drive from Cairns to
Mossman is getting easier and the bank account is slowly creeping back into
positive territory.
Yes, it’s a bummer that our sailing adventure is on hold. But six months
of trading hours for dollars will only add to the adventure of our sailing.
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My "office" for the next few months, while I trade hours for dollars. |
